Muslim Brotherhood stages protests across Egypt

Thousands of Muslim Brotherhood members staged protests across several cities in northern Egypt, accusing the government of blocking their participation in upcoming local elections, Al Jazeera reported Wednesday.

Following another spate of Brotherhood arrests, over 7,000 members of the banned organization took to the streets in the cities of Zagazig, Damanhur, Tanta, and Alexandria. Ten activists were injured in confrontations with police, and the Brotherhood says that over 100 members were arrested.

Since registration began on March 4, thousands of members have been prevented from registering as candidates, and hundreds of these aspirants have been detained. The Brotherhood has won several lawsuits reversing the obstructions, but the government has refused to implement the verdicts.

The local elections hold such importance in Egypt because the government postponed them in 2006 following an unexpectedly strong showing by the Brotherhood the previous year.

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